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...Xuan Ming slowly stood up. The vast, ocean-like divine force surrounding him instantly receded, becoming unfathomably deep once more. He took a step, and his figure vanished from the secret room.
The next moment, he appeared inside the main hall of the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
Bibi Dong and Gu Yuena seemed to have already sensed his emergence from seclusion and were waiting there. Seeing him appear, and especially sensing the vastly different aura on him—one that seemed integrated with the heavens and earth—a hint of surprise flashed in both women's eyes.
A level-100 True God! He actually achieved it!
"The fifth stage of the Godly Trial," Xuan Ming stated directly, without preamble, his voice calm and steady. "Reshape the Continent's order. Time limit: three years."
Bibi Dong slightly frowned. "What do they want you to do?"
"They want to see," Xuan Ming's gaze swept over the sky outside the hall that belonged to the Spirit Empire, "what else I can do besides destruction. They gave me a framework and told me to build the order they desire within it."
A cold light flashed in Gu Yuena's silver-purple eyes. "Restricting your power?"
"Something like that." Xuan Ming said lightly. "No mass killing; it must be sustainable."
Bibi Dong pondered for a moment. As the Empress of the Spirit Empire, she knew how complex the situation on this Continent was.
The three great Empires were outwardly calm but turbulent underneath. The Spirit Empire's internal conflicts were also severe, relying entirely on the absolute military suppression provided by her and Xuan Ming.
To reshape the order in three years while satisfying the requirements of the God Realm—the difficulty of this... "What do you plan to do?" Bibi Dong looked at Xuan Ming, knowing that since he had emerged, he must have already made a decision.
Xuan Ming did not answer directly. He walked to the massive Continent sandbox model in the hall, his gaze resting on the territories representing the Heaven Dou, Star Luo, and Spirit Empires.
"The old rules were built upon the supremacy of Spirit Masters' privileges, upon the hereditary nature of imperial power, and upon endless plunder and war."
"These are the roots of chaos."
"The Spirit Empire seemingly implemented new laws, harsh penalties, suppressed Spirit Master privileges, and introduced spirit tool technology."
"But the Foundation is unstable, like a castle built on sand, maintained entirely by military might. Once the power at the top vanishes, the rebounding force will instantly tear it apart."
"This is not order either."
Xuan Ming's gaze remained fixed on the sandbox model, his voice steady and calm, as if stating a theorem he had deduced countless times.
"The roots of chaos lie in several points."
"First, insufficient basic survival guarantees." His finger traced the areas on the sandbox model representing farmlands and towns. "Most people will not take risks if they can stably secure food, clothing, and safety. Guarantees require sufficient productivity. The spirit tools of the Sun Moon Continent can solve this problem; whether for farming, transportation, or basic manufacturing, they can greatly increase efficiency and meet survival needs."
Bibi Dong nodded slightly. This was one of her original intentions for introducing spirit tool technology.
"Second, ideology and law." Xuan Ming's fingertip tapped lightly, as if touching invisible rules. "Insufficient reverence for the law stems from the deeply ingrained privileges of Spirit Masters. Not only do Spirit Masters themselves take it for granted, but even non-Spirit Masters accept this class difference, believing that becoming a Spirit Master naturally places them above the law."
He looked at Bibi Dong. "The current laws of the Spirit Empire are harsh enough, but they rely too heavily on the deterrence of killing. Under high pressure, the populace either becomes numb or rebellious, which is not a sustainable solution. The laws must be amended, requiring clear and fair restrictions and protections for both Spirit Masters and non-Spirit Masters. At the same time, there must be absolute military force as a backing to ensure the law cannot be violated."
"Third, and the core issue: the privileges and upward mobility channels for Spirit Masters. Spirit Master privileges cannot, and should not, be completely eliminated. The differences brought by power are objectively real, and forcibly leveling them will only stifle initiative and cause society to stagnate. Without differences, without comparison, how can there be progress? If effort yields the same result as slacking off, who would still strive?"
"Therefore, Spirit Master privileges can be partially retained as a form of recognition and incentive for talent and effort. But the key is that we must break the rigid ideology that 'the only way forward is to become a Spirit Master.'"
"Spirit Master Aptitude is innate, which causes many people without spirit power to fall into fatalistic despair or develop deep-seated jealousy and hatred toward the Spirit Master class. We must open up clear upward mobility channels for non-Spirit Masters that are no weaker than the status of a Spirit Master! Furthermore, these channels must clearly promote social progress, such as spirit tool research and development, administrative management, commercial trade, cultural arts, and so on."
He paused, then continued, "In addition, there are many details, such as the allocation of educational resources, wealth circulation mechanisms, regional balanced development... In many aspects, the system of the Sun Moon Empire certainly offers valuable lessons."
Bibi Dong and Gu Yuena both fell into contemplation. The points Xuan Ming raised truly addressed the core issues, proving far more complex and profound than simply relying on military suppression.
"However, the most crucial point," Xuan Ming's voice deepened, "is eliminating the natural, power-based class chasm between ordinary people and Spirit Masters."
His gaze became profound. "My idea is, fundamentally... to restrict the creation of Spirit Masters."
As soon as he said this, both Bibi Dong and Gu Yuena trembled slightly!
Restrict the creation of Spirit Masters?
Spirit Masters are the Foundation of the power system on the Douluo Continent, spanning ten thousand years!
Restrict this? The Spirit Empire would likely collapse instantly!
"Gu Yuena, is there any way to strip a human Spirit Master of the spirit rings they have already obtained?" Xuan Ming asked.
A hint of astonishment flashed in Gu Yuena's silver-purple eyes. She frowned in thought for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "I cannot do it. Once a spirit ring is absorbed, it Fuses with the Spirit Master's Spirit Origin. I can destroy the spirit ring, but I cannot completely strip it out."
"Furthermore, even if we could, we couldn't do it one by one, nor could we generalize the process."
This answer seemed to be within Xuan Ming's expectations; there was no look of disappointment on his face. "If a Spirit Bone can still be stripped after absorption, why can't a spirit ring?"
"This is merely a rule set by the God Realm. Since they can grant spirit rings and set the rule that spirit rings are obtained by hunting Spirit Beasts, then... they must also have a way to reverse this process!"
"What if we could find a method to replace spirit rings... or directly change the rules for obtaining them?"
"Allowing Spirit Masters to advance without needing to hunt Spirit Beasts! Fundamentally cutting the chain of conflict between humans and Spirit Beasts!"
"This is... the true reshaping of order! This is the fundamental solution to eliminate the roots of war!"
...Xuan Ming did not stay long in Spirit City. After communicating his initial ideas to Bibi Dong and Gu Yuena, he needed to verify a more crucial question.
He took a step, space twisted, and the next moment he appeared above Sea God Island. Without alarming anyone, he descended directly in front of the Sea God Temple.
Bo Saixi seemed to have already sensed his arrival, and the Sea God Temple door silently slid open. She stood inside the hall, her sea-blue eyes watching him with a hint of complexity.
She could sense that the aura around Xuan Ming was vastly different from months ago—it was a profound feeling of being integrated with the ocean, the sky, and the entire World.